


El Cascanueces

by Junliet



Series: Barbie AUs [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Angst, Based on the Barbie film, Falling In Love, Fighting, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Nutcracker AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-16 15:09:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17552003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junliet/pseuds/Junliet
Summary: “A nutcracker!” Yuzuru lifted the arm with a smile. “He’s wonderful!” Once Evgenia had let go of Johnny, Yuzuru pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you, Uncle Johnny!”“That’s super cool Yuzuru,” Evgenia said with a cheeky grin, “but my present is more beautiful!”“Hey!”“On the outside, maybe,” Johnny said with a smile Yuzuru couldn’t read, “but inside beats the heart of a prince.”AKA: the nutcracker AU no one asked for, including an overly indulgent Uncle Johnny, stern Grandfather Brian, and feels.





	1. Thank you Uncle Johnny!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [K1mHeechu1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/K1mHeechu1/gifts).



> Hello! I had this idea whilst watching Europeans (OHHH MY GOD!!!) and decided to start writing it to get over the emotional rollercoaster that it was. This will pretty much follow the Barbie storyline to a T so enjoy! Here's the character list for clarity if you'd like to see it:
> 
> Captain Candy: Scott Moir  
> Clara: Yuzuru Hanyu  
> Aunt Elizabeth: Johnny Weir  
> King Eric: Javier Fernandez  
> Faeries: Alina Zagitova (snow), and Rika Kihira  
> Gingerbread boy: Junhwan Cha  
> Grandfather: Brian Orser  
> Maid: Akira Kikuchi  
> Major Mint: Patrick Chan  
> Mouse KIng: Nikolai Morozov  
> Peppermint girl: Wakaba Higuchi  
> Pimm (the bat): Alexandra Trusova  
> Tommy: Evgenia Medvedeva

Once upon a time, there lived a young man called Yuzuru and his little sister Evgenia. Both of their parents had died when they were very young, and so their Uncle Brian had taken them in to care for them as his own. He loved them, but he could be very stern. It was the 24th of December after Yuzuru’s nineteenth birthday, a month after Evgenia’s fourteenth birthday, and their makeshift family was finalising the preparations for Christmas.

“That’s a beautiful charm Yuzuru,” the young man looked up and smiled as he hung his charm of a figure skater clad in white, forever in a beautiful layback Ina Bauer, on the Christmas tree.

“Thank you,” Yuzuru said gently to Kikuchi, helper at the family, who had also helped to raise a wild and headstrong Yuzuru, taming him and turning him into a polite and kind young adult. “Mother and Father got it for me, the day they took me to see figure skating for the first time.”

Kikuchi smiled a little sadly as Yuzuru hung the figure, stepping away to tend to other business and to give Yuzuru some privacy. Yuzuru smiled at the figure hanging up, turning it around to read the engraving in Japanese on the back: _To our darling son Yuzuru, happy birthday. With love forever, Mother and Father._

The sharp ringing of the doorbell shocked Yuzuru out of his thoughts as Brian tutted in the hallway. Yuzuru giggled; his uncle was a stickler for arriving at the time you said, not too early or too late.

“Yes Brian, I know I’m a bad example, but I can’t be a bad example until I see my favourite nephew, can I?” Yuzuru gasped as the door opened and he all but threw himself at the new man in the doorway for a hug.

“Uncle Johnny!”

“Hello Yuzu!” Johnny chuckled, smoothing out his hair a little. “You’re at least a head taller than when I last saw you!”

“I thought you weren’t coming this year!”

“And miss a chance to visit my favourite nephew and make Brian lose more hair?”

“You two are already conspiring against me,” Brian said as he walked back into the room with a huff. Yuzuru giggled as Johnny squeezed his hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll wait until your party’s over before I perform any mischief with my favourite nephew.”

“Only nephew.” He said with a little laugh, taking his uncle’s hands and leading him down to the sofa. “Where did you go this time? I want to hear all about it!”

Johnny hummed and let himself sink into the cushions. “Well, I went to Asia this time. I went to China, hiked along the Great Wall, enjoyed a festival I didn’t understand in Japan, and then I went to Europe.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t fill the boy’s head with stories Johnny.” Yuzuru looked up to see Brian standing by them with a small frown. “Just because you go traipsing all over the world instead of staying put like a sensible person…”

“There’s a whole world of wonders out there Brian, and Yuzu deserves a chance to experience them.”

The ringing of the doorbell cut off Brian before he could properly respond and Johnny raised a hand to stop him.

“Your guests are waiting Brian.”

Brian rolled his eyes and his frown deepened as he went to answer the door. Johnny sighed dramatically before he smiled brightly at Yuzuru.

“Some people never change, but we can always hope. Now, time to tell you about my travels.”

In front of the fireplace, with Evgenia drawing in her notebook on the ground in front of them, Yuzuru listened intently to Johnny’s words, hanging on to every moment.

“And then he bowed and asked me to dance.”

“Did you?” Yuzuru asked, holding Johnny’s hand tightly.

“I couldn’t say no to the King of Switzerland!”

“You must have felt like a prince,” Yuzuru sighed, looking down at his lap sadly, “I wish I could have been there.”

“Maybe next time, you could come with me?” Johnny suggested trying to cheer him up. Yuzuru shrugged lightly.

“Brian would never allow it.”

“Well, I’m sure he won’t object to these,” Johnny stood up and picked up two boxes, presenting one to Evgenia. “My little Princess,” she took it with a happy smile, giving Johnny a light hug before he turned to Yuzuru, “and this one’s for you, my swan.”

“Woah,” Yuzuru smiled as Evgenia clasped the rose gold necklace with delicate diamonds around her neck happily. “Evgenia, you look beautiful with it.”

“Thank you so much Johnny!” She smiled again, pulling him into a hug as Yuzuru turned to his own gift, removing the ribbon and the lid before he pulled back the layers of protective cloth with a little gasp.

“A nutcracker!” Yuzuru lifted the arm with a smile. “He’s wonderful!” Once Evgenia had let go of Johnny, Yuzuru pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you, Uncle Johnny!”

“That’s super cool Yuzuru,” Evgenia said with a cheeky grin, “but my present is more beautiful!”

“Hey!”

“On the outside, maybe,” Johnny said with a smile Yuzuru couldn’t read, “but inside beats the heart of a prince.”

Yuzuru held up the nutcracker to eye level, and swore he saw a sparkle in the eye. When he checked, looking closer, he saw nothing but the deep brown painted eyes with the black pupils. No sparkles.

Due to the extra guests draining his energy a little, Yuzuru fell asleep on the sofa in front of the fireplace with his nutcracker place on the floor underneath it. Brian covered him up with a blanket, smiling down at him fondly.

“Yuzuru’s not a child anymore Brian,” Johnny said to him softly as the other went to wind up their grandfather clock. “He deserves a chance to follow his dreams.”

“A young man needs to be responsible and practical.”

“Yuzu is responsible. You’ve raised him well. It’s time you trusted him to grow up and make his own choices.”

Brian sighed, shaking his head. “It’s late. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Johnny nodded and, following his lead, he too left the room. Yuzuru lay there still, undisturbed as his hand shifted from beside his head on the sofa to hang down, fingertips brushing the top of the nutcracker’s hat.


	2. This has to be a dream!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This has to be a dream.”
> 
> “I’m afraid it’s all too real. And I’ve got to return home to Madridia while I have the chance.” The nutcracker pulled his sword out of the grate, sheathing it at his side once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by one of my lovely lovely friends, you can have this chapter early. Enjoy!
> 
> Yuzuru's pyjamas and clothes (unless specified otherwise) are basically his Seimei 1.0 costume

The clock struck twelve. Midnight.

From the small mousehole in the wall, white and yellow sparkles came into the room, dancing lightly around the legs of the coffee table, before they circled the Christmas tree, steadily getting higher and higher as they wound around the decorations and baubles. One sparkle brushed against Yuzuru’s figure skating charm, jostling the small necklace on the skater lightly as it made its way past.

The owl on the top of the grandfather clock blinked a couple of times before it moved, tracing the sparkles running along the floor with its eyes before it turned to the mousehole. Blue sparkles spilled out of it, creating the image of a blue carpet. Mouse soldiers charged out with spears and shields and started to attack the Christmas decorations, smashing some of the lower hanging baubles.

Yuzuru shifted slightly in his sleep, fingers twitching as they grazed the top of the nutcracker’s hat gently. The white and yellow sparkles surrounded him, lighting up his dark brown eyes. His pupils dilated as he blinked in the light before he watched the sparkles with a small smile. He spotted the mice and drew his small sword, rushing over to them.

“Insolent mice!”

As the nutcracker rushed off, Yuzuru stirred and blinked awake, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He looked around, moving the pillows on the sofa and checking under his blanket. Where on earth was the nutcracker? He looked under the sofa and spotted a mouse nibbling at one of the Christmas biscuits he and Evgenia had created, along with an unholy mess, the day before.

“Get away from them! Shoo! Shoo!” Yuzuru swatted at the creature, knocking it away from the plate. It dropped the biscuit in surprise along with its spear and dashed towards the mantlepiece. Yuzuru watched it go before he gasped, spotting the nutcracker.

“Back off you traitors!” the nutcracker shouted, sword clashing harshly against the metal spears of the mouse army. Yuzuru shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

“I must be dreaming.” He mumbled, before he spotted the mousehole and gasped.

Two more armed guards walked out, followed by a shorter mouse with a golden crown and sceptre to match. A red ruby sat at the end of the sceptre, and the mouse king, Yuzuru assumed, snarled at the nutcracker fighting his army.

“Even as a nutcracker, you’re a thorn in my side,” the Mouse King snapped, pointing the sceptre at the nutcracker on top of a present box. The nutcracker looked at him with a little frown.

“And a thorn to you I shall remain!” the nutcracker kicked over the book leaning against his box, hitting the Mouse King and his guards with it on the head. Yuzuru slapped himself across the face. This was definitely not a dream.

The nutcracker jumped down from the box as the Mouse King lifted up the book, snarling. The nutcracker’s sword and the golden sceptre clashed against each other with harsh metal on metal sounds. The nutcracker kicked the Mouse King hard, and received a blow from the sceptre that knocked the sword from his hand to the ground near some of the mouse army. Yuzuru gasped.

“It’s about time I turned you into something more useful.” The Mouse King waved the sceptre, transforming it into an axe with a ruby at the top of it. “Like kindling!”

“Not in my house.” The Mouse King turned to see Yuzuru towering above him, holding another large book that he was ready to swat the mouse with if necessary. The Mouse King studied him before he smirked, turning his axe back into the sceptre.

“Meddling human, towering tall, let my sceptre shrink you small.”

“Look out!” the nutcracker shouted.

It was too late. The wave of yellow magic from the sceptre hit Yuzuru, and he dropped the book out of surprise. He shrunk smaller and smaller, watching as the gift boxes by the Christmas tree soon became taller than he was. He backed away from the mouse slowly with a nervous chuckle.

“This is not good.”

“Not so fearless now, are you?” The Mouse King asked, advancing on Yuzuru.

The nutcracker pushed a small wooden cart, the one Evgenia used to store her coloured pencils in, into the Mouse King quickly, knocking him away from Yuzuru and picking up his sword. He advanced on the Mouse King, but was blocked by two guards with spears quickly. He knocked one’s spear out of its hand, and it cowered with fear.

“Can you make it up to the mantle?” the nutcracker asked Yuzuru who stared at him in minor shock.

“There is no way!” He shouted.

He then bothered to take notice of the advancing army of mice, brandishing swords when he had nothing to defend himself with. He was dressed only in his pyjamas: black trousers with a loose, cream top with flowing sleeves and purple and green accents on the neckline, shoulders and wrists, as well as a golden decorative belt around his waist and black gloves. He let out a quiet squeak before he backed up towards the tinsel and baubles wrapped around the sides of the mantlepiece.

“There’s no way I’m staying down here!” He shouted to Javier as he jumped up into the tinsel, pulling himself up and towards the mantle.

Yuzuru paused for a moment, halfway up the mantlepiece, when he caught sight of the nutcracker being surrounded by mice. Thinking quickly, he stabbed his sword through one of the gaps in the fire grate and kicked the mice around him away.

“You’ve got nowhere to run, Nutcracker.” The Mouse King stole his attention. The nutcracker desperately tried to pull his sword out from the grate, but it wouldn’t budge. Cursing in a language Yuzuru didn’t understand, he jumped over the Mouse King, just avoiding his axe, abandoning his sword.

“You’re not going to get away from me this time,” the Mouse King taunted, holding up the axe, “unless you’d like to feed the fire?”

The nutcracker looked around frantically, before he grabbed hold of the grate and started to climb up it. The Mouse King frowned and sung his axe wildly, just missing the nutcracker’s feet. The nutcracker made it to the other side of the mantle, halfway up, and grabbed hold of one of the baubles. The Mouse King turned the axe into a golden crossbow with a ruby on the end. He took aim, firing an arrow at the nutcracker. The nutcracker let go of the bauble he was on, catching the one below with a little smile as the other was pierce by the arrow and shattered, leaving ceramic shards in its wake. The Mouse King took aim at the nutcracker again, readying his arrow.

“Hey!” Yuzuru’s shout drew the nutcracker’s and the Mouse King’s attention. “Up here!”

The young man kicked off one of his shoes, why hadn’t Brian told him to take them off when he fell asleep, and it flew through the air, hitting the Mouse King squarely on the head. With a dazed sigh, the king was knocked out cold. The mouse army swarmed around him with two picking him up and one carrying the sceptre out. They retreated back through the mousehole, leaving Yuzuru’s parlour alone.

Yuzuru breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard a heart stopping creak. The decorations he was holding onto weren’t secure and soon he was flying through the air, holding onto a bauble out of sheer terror.

“Look out!” He shouted as he barrelled towards the nutcracker, catching him in the force of the swing form the falling decorations. Both fell off the mantlepiece, luckily onto a cushion nearby. The nutcracker got up first, offering a hand to Yuzuru to help him up.

“Thank you for saving my life.” The nutcracker said with a gentle smile.

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Yuzuru responded with a little bow before he looked around the room. Everything was towering above him in a way he’d never imagined it could before. “This has to be a dream.”

“I’m afraid it’s all too real. And I’ve got to return home to Madridia while I have the chance.” The nutcracker pulled his sword out of the grate, sheathing it at his side once again.

“Then, um, well, would you mind changing me back before you go?” Yuzuru asked gently. “Remember? I used to be a little, well, taller?”

The nutcracker chuckled lightly but his smile died all too quickly. “I’m afraid only the Sugar Plum Prince can reverse Morozov’s spell.”

“The Sugar Plum Prince?” Yuzuru asked, eyebrows raised slightly.

“Yes.” The nutcracker said with a sigh. “I’ve been trying to find him since Morozov turned me into a nutcracker.”

“You mean you used to be…?” Yuzuru questioned lightly.

“Not a nutcracker.” The nutcracker, could Yuzuru really keep calling him that, replied, shoulders sagging slightly.

The hoot of an owl shocked them both as the owl from the top of the grandfather clock flew over to the mantlepiece. Yuzuru hid under the table, aware of how vulnerable he was at his new size. The owl chuckled slightly before it spoke.

“Perhaps I can help you? You will find the Sugar Plum Prince on an island across the sea of storms.”

“But it’s impossible to cross the sea of storms.” The nutcracker countered.

“It’s dangerous, yes, but not impossible.”

The nutcracker sighed and walked towards the mousehole. “Well, are you coming?” He asked Yuzuru.

“Me? With you? In there? With them? I don’t think so.”

“Surely you don’t want to spend the rest of your life the size of a mouse?” The owl asked. Yuzuru looked at himself and sighed.

“How would I get back?”

The owl flew over to the Christmas tree, to the figure skating decoration, and took the necklace off it, dropping it into Yuzuru’s hands.

“Once you find the prince, open the locket, and you’ll return home your normal size.”

“But-!” the owl already flew back to the grandfather clock and became still once more. Yuzuru sighed, clasping the necklace around his neck carefully. He secured both of his shoes, collecting the one he’d kicked at the Mouse King, and walked over to the hole.

“Are you ready?” The nutcracker asked him gently.

“This is crazy,” Yuzuru said with a little laugh despite himself, “but yes.”

The nutcracker offered him a hand and Yuzuru took it as they walked into the darkness of the mousehole together.


	3. Welcome to Madridia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Welcome to Madridia.” The nutcracker said grandly, gesturing to his home.
> 
> Yuzuru was in awe. Although he was born in Japan initially, he didn’t remember much of it. He was only five when he and a newly born Evgenia had moved to Toronto to live with Brian. Madridia was like nowhere he’d ever seen before. Large purple mountains, like Mount Fuji in Japan that he’d heard about from Johnny, stood on the skyline. Along the horizon from them was an ocean and a beach. A forest of snow tipped pines stood near the mountains, and Yuzuru spun around to look at the purple mountain they’d come from.
> 
> “It’s so beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy with this work I'm going to upload it because I'm proud of it. I've also gifted this work to K1mHeechul because they've been so supportive of this piece and are wonderful and so inspiring. Thank you so much for all your messages <3
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

They’d taken only a few steps into the tunnel from Yuzuru’s parlour, when the floor gave out under them both. Yuzuru and the nutcracker both fell into a tunnel of blue light with pink and white sparks flashing past them as they went. They flew over pools of white light until they landed in a pile of snow in what looked like a cave.

“Where are we?” Yuzuru asked, standing up to have a look around.

“We must have taken a wrong turn back there,” the nutcracker frowned a little. “Uh, have you seen my sword?”

Yuzuru spotted something golden in the snow and nodded, smiling a little. “Here, let me give you a hand!” He pulled the sword out only to gasp. The lower half of the nutcracker’s right arm was holding onto the sword too. “Uh…. Um…”

“Sorry,” the nutcracker said with a little chuckle as he attached his arm properly. “It happens a lot.”

Yuzuru chuckled too, when he saw a small blue sparkle float towards them. “What’s that?”

“A snow fairy.” The nutcracker answered calmly, as the light burst into tiny sparkles to reveal a tiny fairy with dark hair wound up into a bun, and clad in a blue tutu. She fluttered close to Yuzuru’s face and studied him carefully before she pulled on his sleeve, trying to move him. Yuzuru chuckled again when her grip slipped and she tumbled through the air, hitting into the nutcracker’s chest and landing on his hand. She stood up and tried to fly again, frowning at him when she saw her wing was bent.

“Well, I’m sorry Alina, but you should have been more careful.” The nutcracker countered, and Yuzuru pulled off his gloves, holding out his hand for her.

“Let me.” He said as she walked into his palm. With care and delicate fingers, Yuzuru smoothed out her wing. Fluttering them quickly on his palm, she took off, flying out of sight quickly.

“Not so much as a thank you?” the nutcracker asked, confused. “Anyway, let’s try and get out of here.”

Yuzuru followed him to one of the walls where he drew his sword. The metal object bounced off and the nutcracker grimaced.

“These walls are solid ice. It’ll take forever to get through them.”

A sharp breeze ran through the cave, and both Yuzuru and the nutcracker looked up to see hundreds, no, thousands of the snow fairies coming into being. The one Yuzuru had helped earlier stood out, being a little shorter than most of the others. She tugged on his finger, pulling him towards the others where they were dancing.

“Oh, no, I can’t dance.” Yuzuru said with a little frown. She let go of him and did some basic steps in the air, then gestured for him to copy. He tried his best, slipping a little on the snow.

She whispered to the other snow fairies, and they collected by the walls of ice, lighting it up with a blue glow so bright that Yuzuru and the nutcracker had to cover their eyes. When the light faded away and they could look again, a hole in the ice had been cleared for them, big enough to walk through, and the blue fairies flew off out of the cave. Yuzuru and the nutcracker exchanged a look.

“Where did they go?” Yuzuru asked.

“Probably off to make a blizzard somewhere.” The nutcracker responded, gesturing to the exit. “Shall we?”

Yuzuru nodded, following him out of the cave. He gasped, looking around in shock and amazement.

“Welcome to Madridia.” The nutcracker said grandly, gesturing to his home.

Yuzuru was in awe. Although he was born in Japan initially, he didn’t remember much of it. He was only five when he and a newly born Evgenia had moved to Toronto to live with Brian. Madridia was like nowhere he’d ever seen before. Large purple mountains, like Mount Fuji in Japan that he’d heard about from Johnny, stood on the skyline. Along the horizon from them was an ocean and a beach. A forest of snow tipped pines stood near the mountains, and Yuzuru spun around to look at the purple mountain they’d come from.

“It’s so beautiful.” He said more to himself. He picked up a handful of snow, not bothering to put his gloves back on. “The snow isn’t even cold!” He breathed in through his nose, smiling brightly. “The trees, they smell of peppermint, and I’ve never seen a sky so blue.”

“Soon it’ll all be a memory if Morozov has his way,” the nutcracker said sadly, setting off with Yuzuru by his side down a path made of rocks, through a winding wood of peppermint smelling pine trees.

“And you’re sure the Sugar Plum Prince is the only one who can help?”

“He’s the only one who can defeat him.” The nutcracker said confidently.

Unknown to them, a bat, that was hanging from one of the tree branches, was listening into their conversation. With widened eyes, the bat took off, flying away from the forest towards a large grey palace at the top of one of the mountains.

The castle had mouse guards stationed at every entry point and along every wall to protect the looming grey building from intruders. The palace wasn’t built to be imposing; it had fine and delicate architecture, however the colour and the feeling of the place would strike fear into the heart of anyone entering. The bat flew into the main throne room through the window, landing on the red carpet in front of the thrones. By the thrones, the Mouse King was studying a large map. He glanced up at the bat and then away, as if it wasn’t worth his time.

“Well? What news do you bring?”

The bat rolled its eyes and lay on the floor. “I wish I could remember, but I’m hungry. I feel weak. No, faint!”

“You insolent little bat! I should turn you into a… a… a ceiling fan!”

“That would be a shame, because then you’d never get to hear the juicy bit of gossip I overheard.”

With a snarl in the back of his throat, Morozov shoved a tray of fruit towards the bat. It wolfed the food down quickly, lying on the tray in satisfaction.

“Thank you for your generosity Your most royal Majesty. May I say that you’re looking especially regal this evening Sire?” The bat bowed to the king with a little smile.

The glare the king gave her got her to talk.

“Right, well, for starters, Nutcracker’s back.”

“What?!” Morozov slammed a hand down on the desk, turning to give the bat his full attention.

“And he’s got some guy with him. Don’t know where he came from.”

“I do.” Morozov said, rubbing his sore head angrily.

“Now, here comes the good part! They’re looking for a Sugar Plum Prince who can supposedly defeat…. You.”

If looks could kill, the bat would have died then and there.

“Uh, according to the Nutcracker!”

“Sugar Plum Prince? I’ve never heard of a Sugar Plum Prince.” Morozov thought for a moment before he pointed to one of his guards. “Bring me the royal register! And, bring me the nutcracker!”


	4. Why haven't you told anyone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out on the balcony, the nutcracker was watching the moon. He was sitting on the edge, gazing at the full moon with empty, broken brown eyes. Yuzuru silently sat down next to him on the edge, tilting his head at him curiously.   
> “Can’t sleep?”  
> The nutcracker just smiled weakly. “I’m a nutcracker. Sleep seems kind of pointless.”  
> “You’re more than a nutcracker.” Yuzuru said firmly, and the other looked up at him, meeting his determined eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this next chapter! Here you get to see smol Jun and Wakaba (imagine them as like 7 year olds). Also, Yeou means (I hope!) fox in Korean, so Jun is very creative when it comes to naming his animals. 
> 
> Titles for this chapter that I eventually decided against: Patrick is salty, Scott tries to moderate Patrick, kids love Yuzuru, and Sasha is a sassy little bat.

Yuzuru and the nutcracker walked together into a village when Yuzuru had to stop, feeling almost physically sick at the site. Gingerbread houses and homes were torn apart, pieces of candy cane and gingerbread strewn across the snow.

“This is all that’s left of the Gingerbread Village?” The nutcracker asked in a shocked whisper. Yuzuru turned to face him, words dying in his throat when he caught sight of the tears gathering in the nutcracker’s eyes.

Yuzuru averted his eyes quickly out of respect when he spotted a small fox toy, half buried in the snow. He picked it up, sighing sadly, when a horse whinnying caught both his and the nutcracker’s attention. Yuzuru rushed over and offered the animal one of his hands, gently brushing its mane.

“Steady, steady. We won’t hurt you.” He said softly, calming the creature down gently. The horse nuzzled into his palm, when Yuzuru jumped in shock.

“Hey!” a snowball had hit him hard, right on the ass.

“It’s an ambush! Take cover!” The nutcracker pulled Yuzuru down to hide behind a small wall as snowballs flew at them from the other side. Slowly, they both poked their heads over the wall to see who was throwing snowballs at them.

Two kids.

“It’s alright.” The nutcracker said with a light laugh. “They’re just children—woah!” He ducked down laughing as he brushed snow off his hat. “With very good aim it seems!”

Yuzuru held up the fox toy quickly over the wall, slowly raising the rest of him up. “Wait! We found this! Is it one of yours?”

The young boy with floppy black hair that fell into his eyes rushed over with a smile. “Yeou!” he shouted, taking the toy from Yuzuru carefully and hugging it tightly. The girl with him walked over too, head tilted at Yuzuru and the nutcracker out of curiosity.

“What happened here?” The nutcracker asked her gently, as he and Yuzuru knelt down to be at their height.

“We went out with Marzipan,” she gestured to the horse, “to gather berries. When we came back, everything,”

“and everyone!” the boy chimed in.

“were gone!”

“It was the Mouse King’s Army.” He said, shaking his head.

“It’s all Prince Javier’s fault!” She declared, shaking her head too.

“Who’s Prince Habier… Prince Jabier… Prince Javi?” Yuzuru asked, cringing as he stumbled over the pronunciation of the foreign name. Even though he’d lived in Toronto for fourteen years, the initial five years of learning Japanese had shaped his vocabulary so much.

Luckily the little girl didn’t mind. She slipped her hand into Yuzuru’s as the nutcracker began to talk.

“The son of the king who ruled before Morozov took over.”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t much of a prince!” The young man said indignantly, claiming Yuzuru’s other hand with his free one, Yeou being cradled carefully.

“The king left his throne and his golden sceptre to his royal advisor,” the nutcracker went onto explain.

“The mouse.” The little girl supplied helpfully.

“Until the prince could prove himself worthy.” The nutcracker finished. Yuzuru frowned.

“I guess the mouse decided he liked being king then.” He sighed, shaking his head. “But what happened to Prince Javier?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” The young man beside him shrugged,

“We’re better off without him.” The girl echoed.

The nutcracker made a noise Yuzuru couldn’t understand and then looked at the two kids. “It’s dangerous here. We’ll travel together until we can find you a safe home.”

Yuzuru lifted up the boy into the carriage pulled by Marzipan and then placed the little girl in next to him, covering them up with the blanket in the back and tucking in Yeou too. He then climbed in next to the Nutcracker and sighed a little as they set off, leaving the broken village behind them.

Soon enough, they stopped at the edge of another forest and the nutcracker climbed out. Folding the blanket carefully, Yuzuru helped the kids, who he’d finally learnt were called Junhwan and Wakaba, out of the carriage too. The nutcracker sighed and turned away.

“It’s the Mouse King’s army.”

“Carrying what’s left of our village!” Jun snapped indignantly.

Yuzuru shook his head, turning away from the painful sight when he saw two guards trying to take Marzipan with them. She charged through them, hitting them hard with the carriage, and rushed off into the distance.

“There they are!”

Yuzuru gasped and the nutcracker winced as they were spotted. Mice started to run towards them at full speed.

“Come on, into the woods!” Yuzuru pushed the two kids to go in front of him before he ran into the woods too, followed closely by the nutcracker.

The mouse army followed them, getting closer slowly, when a rope ladder was lowered in front of the kids.

“Up here!” Someone shouted, and Yuzuru didn’t think. He picked up Jun and helped him start climbing the ladder, doing the same for Wakaba before he followed. The nutcracker only had time to grab onto the bottom of it when the whole thing was pulled up with him on it.

“Is everyone alright?” The nutcracker asked before he froze, taking in the scene. Yuzuru had an arm around each child protectively as villagers and people from the kingdom pointed at them both with pitchforks.

“I’m not really sure.” Yuzuru replied, rubbing Wakaba’s back to calm her down a little.

“What have we here?” The nutcracker looked up to see two men standing above the opening he’d climbed through. The one who had asked had a monocle and a very sharp looking sword pointed right between the nutcracker’s eyes.

“A wooden spy?” The other asked, holding an equally threatening sword. “Some kind of Mouse King trap?”

“Kidnappers as well.” The first said, turning his sword onto Yuzuru. The young man stepped forwards, putting himself firmly between the man with a weapon and the children.

“No!” Jun shouted. “They helped us!”

The second sat down by the nutcracker, weapon still held. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you won’t mind answering a few questions.”

“Come children. Tracy will take care of you.” The man with a monocle said, pointing to a blonde lady with a large, friendly smile. Yuzuru let go of them and nodded that it was okay to go. Hesitantly, they walked over to her and let her lead them into one of the wooden buildings in the trees.

Yuzuru was tugged into a separate building by the nutcracker. Inside the two men were waiting, swords now sheathed.

“Right,” the one with a monocle said firmly, “Let’s start with who you are, and what you’re doing here.”

“I’m Nutcracker.”

“I’m Yuzuru.”

“We’re both victims of the Mouse King’s magic.”

“We’re trying to find the only one who can defeat him: The Sugar Plum Prince.”

“The Sugar Plum Prince?” the other man asked, intrigued.

“I’ve never heard such a ridiculous story.” Monocle man, as Yuzuru decided to name him, said.

“It’s the truth!” The nutcracker said, shaking his head. “Told to me by Prince Javier himself!”

“Prince Javier?” he scoffed. “He’s the reason we’re in this mess! If it weren’t for that reckless boy, Morozov wouldn’t be turning everyone into nick-knacks!”

Yuzuru frowned. Prince Javier didn’t sound amazing, but what if he was only young? He couldn’t imagine trying to rule a kingdom by himself, or even coping without Brian, at nineteen.

“You make the prince sound pretty awful.” The nutcracker said slowly and carefully from next to him.

“Awful? That’s a compliment! He was useless, lazy, and irresponsible!”

“Major Patrick,” the other man spoke up, interrupting, “you’re forgetting that Prince Javier was my friend.”

“Captain Scott. You’re forgetting that I’m your superior.”

Scott rolled his eyes, catching Yuzuru’s and chuckling to himself.

“I had high hopes for that boy. Oh well, no matter. We have more important matters to deal with, like keeping the rest of our subjects safe, from the Mouse King.”

“Then perhaps you should be looking for the Sugar Plum Prince too.” Yuzuru said gently to Patrick.

“I don’t have time to search for some Sugar Pie whatever.”

“Uh, Sugar Plum.” Yuzuru corrected quietly, earning a sharp glare.

“It’s just an imaginary Prince and-”

“Wait, Patrick, they may be telling the truth. I once overheard the king telling Prince Javier about this powerful Prince. The king himself believed in his magic, and we’ve tried everything else to defeat Morozov.”

Patrick sighed and then looked up at Yuzuru and the nutcracker. “Do you know where he is?”

“We’ve learned he’s on an island across the sea of storms.”

Patrick swore colourfully and Yuzuru almost burst out laughing. Brian would have killed him for language like that. “Oh, very well.” Patrick said, shaking his head. “We’ll all find this Prince. But I’ll be in charge of the expedition!”

“Of course,” the nutcracker said, bowing slightly to show his respect. Yuzuru did the same, smiling a little. They both turned to go when they were stopped by Scott.

“Do you know what became of Prince Javier?” He asked the nutcracker softly. The nutcracker’s brown eyes lost a little of their sparkle, and avoided looking at Scott.

“The Mouse King destroyed him.”

Scott looked down sadly too and nodded, turning away. Yuzuru took the nutcracker’s hand and led him out.

In the palace on the mountaintop, there was normally lots of noise from all the guards and the army that made it difficult to concentrate or hear anything. Instead, there was absolute silence apart from Morozov speaking to the two members of the army who stood before him.

“So, you’re telling me that the nutcracker, a wooden utensil, managed to escape a well-armed fighting squadron, unharmed?” he spoke dangerously quietly, holding his sceptre tightly.

The two guards whimpered slightly, but Morozov ignored them as he continued.

“And, instead of fleeing into the hills, you chose to return to me, and report your incompetence?”

One of the guards, the braver or more foolish guard nodded quickly. Morozov rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you just blast them with your sceptre Sire?” the bat perched on the edge of his throne asked.

“I suppose I could…” Morozov turned the sceptre into a golden sword containing a red ruby at the heart of the pummel.

The two guards gasped and held up their hands to defend themselves.

“But I find its power to transform the incompetent much more gratifying.” He tossed the sword into the air and caught it once it had turned back to the sceptre. “The trick is making you useful. Sasha! How are we doing with statuary?”

Sasha opened a door to reveal an entire room full of statues of old guards who had irritated the Mouse King. “Uh, full up your Lordiness!”

“Lawn ornaments?”

Sasha drew back a curtain, shaking her head at the lawn, which was as full as the room of statues. “Too much ornament, not enough lawn.”

Morozov rubbed his forehead. “Paper weights?”

She fluttered over to a shelf, landing next to rows of guards Morozov had lost his temper over. “Covered.”

“Ugh. What does one create for the palace that has everything?”

“How about bookends, since there’s two of them?” The guards glared at Sasha before they whimpered in fear.

“Wonderful idea Sasha! I do believe I’m starting to rub off on you.” He raised his sceptre and smirked at the two guards. “Since other tasks posed a challenge to thee, you shall be bookends for eternity!”

He hit both guards with a wave of yellow magic, the same as that which had hit Yuzuru, and both froze in their positions. They then shrunk, with stone sides to them, turning the two guards into bookends.

Morozov smirked and left them on the red carpet, turning instead to the royal register. He flicked through the book, frowning.

“Here it is. The Sugar Plum Prince. Kind, clever, and brave.” He turned back to the book, narrowing his eyes. “That’s it?!”

Out of anger, he threw the book across the room to a stone pillar. “Where is he?!”

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and picked up his sceptre with a smirk. “Oh well. I suppose I’ll just have to reduce the nutcracker to a pile of splinters before he can find him.” He pointed his sceptre at the pillar as it began to glow yellow.

“Rock that will walk, destroy whom I seek. Carnage and havoc will be yours to wreck!”

The pillar fell to pieces, which arranged themselves into a giant made of stone. Sasha gasped, backing away from it.

“Find the wooden man, and crush him! And take out his new male friend if you have the chance.”

The rock started to walk out of the palace when Morozov tapped Sasha on the shoulder. “Follow him, Sasha? He’s a little rough around the edges and may need some guidance.”

“You want me to babysit a rock?”

Morozov tapped his sceptre dangerously.

“Alright alright!” She took off quickly into the night, shaking her head. “Better than being a rock.”

Yuzuru smiled gently as he tucked in Jun and Wakaba carefully into their beds in the tree top village, taking extra care to tuck in Yeou too.

“What about Marzipan?” Wakaba asked and Yuzuru gently squeezed her hand.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. And you’ll be staying here with Tracy until we get back. Okay?”

Both the kids smiled up at him and nodded. “Okay.” Wakaba replied.

“Goodnight.” Yuzuru stood up from their bed, giving each of them a small kiss on the forehead.

“Goodnight Yuzuru!” They both said together, and Yuzuru walked out of the room quietly, shutting the door.

Out on the balcony, the nutcracker was watching the moon. He was sitting on the edge, gazing at the full moon with empty, broken brown eyes. Yuzuru silently sat down next to him on the edge, tilting his head at him curiously.

“Can’t sleep?”

The nutcracker just smiled weakly. “I’m a nutcracker. Sleep seems kind of pointless.”

“You’re more than a nutcracker.” Yuzuru said firmly, and the other looked up at him, meeting his determined eyes. “Prince Javier.”

The nutcracker, Javier, looked away quickly, focusing on his hands.

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

“I…I didn’t want to be the prince when I had the chance, and now I don’t deserve to be.”

“That’s not true!” Yuzuru placed a hand on his shoulder gently. “You’re risking your life to save your kingdom. Isn’t that what princes do?”

“But my subjects think less of me than they do Morozov.” Javier shook his head, looking up at Yuzuru. “My only hope is to find the Sugar Plum Prince, so he can help me restore my people’s happiness.” He lowered his voice, averting his eyes. “I owe them that.”

With that, he stood up, leaving Yuzuru sitting out on the balcony alone.


	5. He's a fantasy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve combed through every page of every book in the royal library, and there’s no other mention of the Sugar Plum Prince.”
> 
> “I don’t know,” Sasha said in a sing-song voice. “They were pretty keen on finding that island~”
> 
> “He’s a fantasy!” Morozov snapped, slamming his sceptre down and scaring Sasha so she jumped and hit her head on the table. “But if Nutcracker wants to believe in fairy tales, he’s about to find out that this one doesn’t have a happy ending.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I talk about the chapter, I'd like to say one thing: Hate the judges, not the skater. They don't choose their scores. Also, remember that scores at Nationals are normally over inflated anyway. Be nice to the skaters
> 
> Back to the story
> 
> This chapter is very long, sorry! I couldn't find an appropriate place to stop until now, so it's three somewhat short sections put together. 
> 
> Enjoy fairy Rika teasing Yuzuru, Alina and her friends saving the group, Patrick and Scott fighting, and the first hints at romance!

The next day, Yuzuru was regretting letting Patrick be in charge of the expedition when he saw where he had planned to cross the ravine. Floating rocks with no form of protection around them and nothing connecting them was not what Yuzuru had in mind. Sure, he didn’t want to be the size of a mouse forever and he wanted to go home to Brian, and Evgenia, and Johnny, but he didn’t want to fall down a ravine. He wanted to still be alive when he met the Sugar Plum Prince. Plus, he was still in his pyjamas.

“Perhaps we should find a safer place to cross?” Javier suggested. Patrick rolled his eyes.

“Perhaps you should remember who’s in charge of this expedition.”

Patrick being in charge meant that he had to be the first to cross, they decided. Patrick stepped out carefully and cautiously onto the first rock. It bobbled a little, and Patrick almost slipped off. He stayed put though, and grinned back to the rest of the group.

“See? No problem at all. Come on!”

As Patrick stepped cautiously onto the next rock, Scott followed him, wobbling dangerously. Yuzuru stayed well back from the edge, shaking his head a little.

Just as Yuzuru was about to step onto the first rock, a shriek stole his attention. Patrick had slipped and, to maintain his balance, he’d fallen onto Scott. Scott had slipped and was clinging onto a branch on the edge of the ravine for dear life, his bag of supplies far below them into the ravine.

Yuzuru and Javier both looked over the side in panic. The branch wasn’t going to hold out for long. Javier extended a hand to him, stretching trying to reach his hand.

One of Scott’s hands slipped off the branch.

Bouncing along the final few rocks, Patrick nearly fell off the edge, but just maintained his balance. Turning around, his triumphant smiles turned to shock. There, on the other side of the ravine, the nutcracker had removed one of his arms and was holding it with the other to pull up Scott. He and Yuzuru haled him up, and Yuzuru sat him down on a rock while he collected himself.

“Sorry,” the nutcracker said with a light chuckle as he put his arm back. “Didn’t have any rope.”

Scott smiled and nodded to Javier before he crossed the rocks himself carefully. Javier offered a hand to Yuzuru and they crossed the rocks together. On the other side, Yuzuru fussed over Scott and made him sit back down again.

“Are you sure you’re alright to travel?”

“I’m fine,” Scott said gently. “Please, please don’t worry about me.”

“The loss of the bag of supplies is a bit of a pain.” Patrick said. Scott glared at him.

“I nearly died and all you care about is the loss of supplies?”

“Don’t blame me for your shoddy footwork and general clumsiness?”

“Clumsy?! I’m clumsy?!”

Javier and Yuzuru exchanged a look.

“Who was dangling from a branch?”

“Whose leadership skills put me there?!”

As the two walked off bickering, Yuzuru smiled at Javier. “That was very noble of you.”

“Least I could do for an old friend.” He said with a soft smile before the two followed the others.

The beaches Yuzuru had seen the day before didn’t look half as inviting up close. The sea of storms lived up to its name; the choppy waters and huge crashing waves made Yuzuru feel ill just watching them. Patrick turned to him and Javier with a sharp look on his face.

“The Captain and I will make a boat seaworthy, while you two gather some supplies.”

“Yuzu, come with me.” Javier nodded to him, and Yuzuru followed, giving Scott a little wave before the groups split.

Yuzuru followed Javier up a coastal path, taking in their surroundings. The sky was a beautiful deep blue, the same as it was the day before, and the sand beneath his fingers was like silk when he touched it. The rocks were pleasantly warm when he brushed his fingers along them.

“I can see why you like it here.” Yuzuru said, more to himself than Javier. The nutcracker smiled a little, however it quickly vanished.

“The well used to be over there.” He pointed to a collection of loose stones.

Clearing them off, Javier drew his sword and jammed it between the well-cap and the stone edge of the well. He levered off the top, and out came hundreds and thousands of different coloured sparkles. Each one, Yuzuru realised, was a fairy, similar to the snow fairies he’d seen before. One in particular flew over to the nutcracker and whispered something in his ear.

“You’re welcome,” he chuckled to her before he turned to Yuzuru. “Rika said that the Mouse King’s army destroyed this valley and trapped them in the well.

Yuzuru smiled as he was circled by a group of fairies, giggling a little when they flew off and made noises. “What are they saying Habier? Uh, Jabier? Uh...”

“Just Javi is fine.” He chuckled before he translated for Yuzuru. “They say you’re beautiful.”

Yuzuru blushed, embarrassed, and the fairies giggled before they flew off, leaving greenery and flowers everywhere they went. From the dead trees, vegetation began to grow. The once bleak valley near the ocean was soon full of beautiful greenery and flowers Yuzuru bet Evgenia would have loved to draw it.

One of the fairies dumped a load of apples onto Javier’s head, and Yuzuru giggled with her at the reaction. Javier picked another apple and grinned at his companion. “Supplies?”

They made it into a game, bringing out Yuzuru’s competitive streak. They tried to beat each other with how many they could both get, but both were being distracted by the fairies. They kept on pulling Yuzuru in to dance with them, despite his protests that he couldn’t dance, and they enjoyed tormenting poor Javier too much.

Two groups of fairies took to a different task. One group pushed Javier’s back, forcing him towards Yuzuru, and the other group did the same for the other. They were soon pushed very close together, and Javier shyly offered Yuzuru his hand. Yuzuru reached out, fingers brushing Javier’s when a roar shocked him and caused him to flinch back.

Javier turned and, had he not been a nutcracker, would have paled. There, towering above them both and coming over the hill, was a huge monster made of stone and rock.

“Run!” Javier shouted, and Yuzuru didn’t need to be told twice. The fairies also scattered, deserting the area.

“Major, Captain!” Yuzuru shouted, having gotten in front of Javier as they approached the beach. He dashed towards them on the sand as Patrick had a fight with the sail, rolling his eyes.

“What’s he carrying on about now? Probably saw a snake, or a spider, or a—”

“Rock giant!” Scott shouted, pointing at the monster appearing over the hill for them too.

“What the fuck.” Patrick whispered, shaking his head.

“There he is!” Sasha shouted, hovering by the rock giant’s head. “Right there! Right in front of you!” Javier put some more distance between them and Sasha rolled her eyes. “Blimey, I’m blind as a bat and even I can see him!”

“Major, Captain, over here.” Yuzuru called, hiding behind a rock. Scott and Patrick exchanged a look before they rushed over to him and Javier. The rock giant picked up a boulder and tossed it straight onto their boat.

“I worked on that sail for a good half an hour, you cheeky blighter!” Patrick shouted at the rock giant. Scott grabbed his arm.

“Invite him for tea and cakes while you’re at it, yeah?”

The rock giant roared again, and started heading towards them. Javier pushed Yuzuru behind him lightly as the group backed away, trapped between the waters of the sea of storms and the rock giant.

As if by magic, blue sparkles surrounded the group. Yuzuru gasped as Alina landed on his shoulder and squeaked something at the rest of the fairies. A group of the snow fairies distracted the rock giant, while others jumped onto the sea and froze the waters. The sound of hooves caught Yuzuru’s attention and he gasped again, this time in delight.

“Marzipan!”

“Come on!” Javier shouted as he and Yuzuru took off running towards Marzipan. “Before the snow fairies disappear.”

Scott nodded, following after them. Patrick was staring in awe at the rock giant still, so Scott grabbed his hand and pulled him roughly into the carriage. The major and captain sat in the front while Javier and Yuzuru sat at the back. They set off across the ice quickly, and the snow fairies finally disappeared. The rock giant, no longer distracted, followed the carriage across the ice.

“Ah, he’ll break right through that ice!” Scott said happily. Looking back, however, there wasn’t a single flaw in the ice at all.

“Seems like the snow fairies did their job too well.” Patrick said quietly.

Marzipan kept on running and Yuzuru couldn’t help but look back, trying to swallow the fear when he saw the rock giant getting closer and closer. Javier next to him couldn’t take it; he pulled on the reins to stop Marzipan and jumped out, drawing his sword.

“A sword won’t do you any good Nutcracker. You’ll be pulverised!”

“Be careful!” Yuzuru shouted as Javier ran back towards the giant and stuck his sword into the ice. He tilted it a little, cracking the ice properly.

“Wood floats, don’t worry!” He called back to Yuzuru before he took off running towards the carriage again. “Rock doesn’t!”

The crack followed Javier’s heels much too quickly, and he had only just jumped onto the back of the carriage again when Patrick took off. The rock giant was closer than ever before. The crack Javier made did the trick, however, as the rock giant fell through the ice as soon as it put weight on the more fragile area of the ice. It fell into the waters below, and the carriage continued into thick fog without worrying about it on their tail anymore.

The fog, however, caused them problems too.

“If this fog doesn’t lift, we’ll never find the prince’s island.” Javier said softly, shaking his head.

“And if we don’t?” Yuzuru asked, eyebrows raised. “You battled the mouse army, rescued Captain Scott, and saved us from a vicious pile of rock! All without the Sugar Plum Prince.”

“The Mouse King’s too powerful to take on alone. Besides, we’ve got to find the Prince if you’re to return home your normal size.” Yuzuru’s face fell a little and he swallowed down his home sickness. “That is what you want, right?”

“Of course.” Yuzuru mumbled, fiddling with the locket lightly.

The two fell into silence, and Sasha, who had been hanging off the back of the carriage, took flight once more towards the palace.

“Nutcracker destroyed rock?” Morozov asked, pacing around a large, messy pile of books.

“Sent him to the bottom of the sea.” Sasha confirmed, icicles hanging off the edges of her wings. “Course he had some help. Major Patrick and Captain Scott have joined up.”

“Proving they’re gullible idiots.” Morozov snapped. “I’ve combed through every page of every book in the royal library, and there’s no other mention of the Sugar Plum Prince.”

“I don’t know,” Sasha said in a sing-song voice. “They were pretty keen on finding that island~”

“He’s a fantasy!” Morozov snapped, slamming his sceptre down and scaring Sasha so she jumped and hit her head on the table. “But if Nutcracker wants to believe in fairy tales, he’s about to find out that this one doesn’t have a happy ending.”

“Weather’s getting worse.” Patrick said, looking at the fog that had thickened more since they initially left. “I say we turn around.”

“Wait!” Yuzuru said, studying Marzipan as Patrick pulled on the reins to stop her carefully.

“It’s too dangerous. There’s been no sign of this mysterious island, not to mention what’s going to happen once this ice starts to melt.”

Yuzuru shook his head, getting out of the carriage and walking easily on the ice as if it was just normal ground. “Marzipan saw something. I’m sure of it.” And, taking a deep breath, Yuzuru walked straight into the fog without looking back. The nutcracker climbed out too and followed him quickly through the fog.

All Yuzuru really thought to do was put one foot in front of the other and keep walking through the fog, when it started to get lighter. Stepping out of the bank of it, his face lit up. Javier bumped into him from behind and he chuckled a little before they both turned to marvel at the sight before them. They’d come to a beach on another island, and the group uncoupled Marzipan from the carriage once both were on solid land again. The sand was just as soft as on the mainland of Madridia, and the cliffs were a warm orange colour. Beyond them, further onto the island, the trees were lush and green, and Javier had to shake Yuzuru by the shoulder to snap him out of it.

“No time for daydreaming!” Patrick said firmly. “Let’s find this prince!”

“I believe that the nutcracker has earned the right to lead us.” Scott cut in. Patrick looked shocked.

“But… He’s wood!”

“And the reason we’ve made it this far.” Scott said firmly.

“I’m only half the reason.” Javier said gently, offering Yuzuru his hand. The Japanese man took it, ignoring the small blush on his cheeks as they followed the winding path.

Soon the group stopped when Yuzuru gasped. In front of them was a glittering palace, with pink and purple hues to the walls.

“There.” Javier breathed, relaxing a little. Yuzuru smiled a little sadly as he fiddled with his locket. “You coming in?”

“Oh… Uh, give me a minute.” he mumbled softly. Javier nodded and squeezed his shoulder gently before he, Scott, and Patrick knocked on the large doors.

They opened up to reveal a large but empty ballroom. The three stepped in slowly.

“Uh, Your Highness?” Javier tried, when a cage dropped around them. Metal locks at the bottom sealed the three men in, and the fake walls of the palace dropped away. Hundreds of bats just like Sasha were sitting on the top of the cage, and she nodded to them.

“Off to the palace!”

“No!” Yuzuru shouted, running after the cage. Once they flew over water though, Yuzuru had to stop by Marzipan, watching in horror as the cage took his three friends away from him and the island.

“Wait a minute, where’s the other one?” Sasha mused to herself before she took off too.

“No matter. No way off this island. Unless he’s part mermaid.”


	6. There’s more to being a king than having a crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javier jumped down from the balcony, landing on top of one of the guards. He stole the sword from the guard and stood before Morozov. Yuzuru turned away, following a group of guards going down to the main courtyard with Patrick and Scott hot on his heels.
> 
> “There’s more to being a king than having a crown.” Javier said firmly.
> 
> Morozov laughed. “Suddenly you’re an expert?”
> 
> “You’ll never gain their loyalty until you’ve earned their respect.” The nutcracker said firmly, and Morozov rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the penultimate chapter of this! I hope you've all enjoyed the story so far.  
> Yuzuru's clothing here is his Hope and Legacy costume because it's my favourite  
> All I'll say in this chapter is: I'm sorry Javi. This chapter definitely features both the fluff and angst promised  
> Enjoy!!

Yuzuru sat down on the grass, looking over the ocean towards the direction where the cage had been taken to, sighing to himself. Marzipan was grazing happily nearby, enjoying the wildflowers and grass. Yuzuru hugged his knees to his chest, resting his forehead on his knees.

“I should never have come. What was I thinking; that I was going to meet a magical prince?” He toyed with the locket, looking down at it. “I could always go back home. I’m sure Evgenia would have some doll clothes that could fit me.”

Marzipan’s neighing brought Yuzuru out of his own head, and he looked around. Madridia had been nothing but lovely since he first properly set foot in it. He couldn’t abandon it just because he was a little scared.

“What am I saying? I can’t leave! I’m their only hope. If I could just get off this island.”

A fairy started squeaking in Yuzuru’s ear, and he recognised her from before. “Rika?” He asked quietly. She nodded vigorously and she took his hand, tugging him to his feet. Yuzuru followed her curiously.

Nearby was a makeshift swing, crafted by the fairies out of long leaves knotted together tightly. Several fairies held it at certain points, and Rika gestured to Yuzuru to sit down.

“Are you sure about this?” Yuzuru asked. Rika nodded and Yuzuru shrugged, throwing caution to the wind. He sat down and nodded.

“Okay then. Let’s go-woah!”

The fairies took off suddenly, and Yuzuru found himself holding onto the sides for dear life as they floated over the choppy ocean. On the horizon, growing larger and larger, was a looming grey castle. Yuzuru shivered as the air around him grew colder and the atmosphere grew less friendly. The clouds even darkened as the seat with him on hovered by a broken balcony doorway where the rest had crumbled away due to neglect. Yuzuru stepped off, finding his feet on solid ground again with a smile.

“Thank you.” Yuzuru whispered to the fairies. Rika nodded to him, and Yuzuru swallowed his fear and slipped into the palace. The fairies behind him took off almost immediately, the atmosphere of the castle making them shiver and glow less brightly.

Yuzuru slipped through the corridors of the castle, pressing himself firmly against the wall as a group of soldiers walked past the end of it. When the coast was clear, he followed them, hoping to find some sort of prison of some kind to get to Javier and the others.

In the treetop village, the fairies who had helped Yuzuru spoke to the people. Rika squeaked something out and Wakaba nodded, turning to the group.

“She’s right! It’s time we stood up to Morozov!” The rest of the villagers cheered too. Unknown to them, Sasha was watching from a tree branch nearby. Shaking her head, she took off towards the palace once again.

At the palace, Yuzuru slipped out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. In the centre a large bonfire was being built. Yuzuru swallowed thickly with no doubt in his mind what that was for. Beside it, Morozov paced with a smug smirk on his face. Peeking out from behind a pillar, Yuzuru watched as the bat landed by Morozov.

“Sasha. All is right with the world. I have the nutcracker, and soon,” he gestured to the bonfire being built, “my worries will be over.”

“Well,” Sasha bounced from foot to foot nervously, “it seems that isn’t really so true Sire.”

“Oh?” Morozov questioned dangerously.

“It appears that some of your subjects are planning an, uh, uprising.”

Morozov swept Sasha up, holding her firmly by the feet and upside down as he shook her. “I want every last villager, fairy, and general trouble maker rounded up and brought here so that they can witness this display of my absolute power!”

“I’ll get right on it Sire!” Sasha said quickly. Morozov’s growl increased.

“Uh, Sire, I… I can’t feel my toes.”

Morozov threw Sasha into the air, hissing. “Just get to it! And you!” He pointed to a guard. “I want this to be an unforgettable show!”

Yuzuru dropped down so he was hidden behind the railing and made his way over to the door at the end of the balcony. With a sigh of relief, he found a spiral staircase down, and quietly started to descend it.

Down and down and down it went, so much so that Yuzuru felt like he’d never get to the bottom. His shoes made too much noise on the stone stairs, but saving Javier was the only thing on his mind. He saw the bottom step and let out a sigh of relief.

That was until he rounded the corner and spotted the two armed guards blocking the door.

“Oh!” Yuzuru turned his gasp of worry into one of surprise instead. “There you are! The King needs you right away in the courtyard!”

The guards eyed him suspiciously.

“And, um, he said if you didn’t hurry, you’d spend the rest of your lives as houseflies.” He stopped, rubbing his chin in thought. “Or, was it horseflies?”

The guards’ eyes widened and they all but shoved Yuzuru out of the way as they scrambled over each other to get up the stairs. Yuzuru breathed a heavy sigh of relief and picked up the bundle of keys from the hook next to the door, trying each one in turn until the wooden door creaked open.

Yuzuru stepped into the room, hoping to see Javier and the others. Instead, nothing. It was an empty circular room. Instead of seeing his friends, only a stone wall looked back at him.

“Yuzu,” Javier breathed from behind a magic wall, hands pressed up against it. The man on the other side ignored him, as if he couldn’t see them.

“What’s wrong with the boy?” Patrick asked.

“We can see him, but he can’t see us.” Javier shook his head sadly.

Scott knocked on the magic wall loudly. “Or hear us apparently.”

Yuzuru spun around himself, looking around the room in confusion. “Why would the Mouse King post guards on an empty room?”

“Yuzuru….” Javier whispered.

Yuzuru looked up and walked almost directly towards Javier with a hand outstretched. Well away from the wall, Yuzuru’s hand was blocked by something, like an invisible wall. Yuzuru smiled to himself, unaware that his hand was blocked from Javier’s only by the magical barrier.

Yuzuru grinned brighter and turned, taking the unlit torch from by the door. He swung it hard into the invisible wall, shattering it and revealing Javier, Patrick and Scott. Dropping the torch, Yuzuru hugged Javier tightly.

Patrick and Scott exchanged a look.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” Yuzuru said clearly, stepping back from Javier and ignoring his blush. “The Mouse is building a bonfire.”

Javier swallowed, eyes downcast. “I doubt it’s to warm up the palace.”

The group ran out of the room and up the staircase towards the balcony overlooking the courtyard. There, in front of the unlit wood, they saw villagers being shoved and jostled into place by the Mouse King’s army. Javier shook his head, climbing onto the railing of the balcony.

“Sugar Plum Prince, or no Sugar Plum Prince, that rat’s got to be stopped!”

Yuzuru opened his mouth to respond, to interrupt, when Javier shouted down to the courtyard.

“Is this anyway to run a kingdom Mouse?”

Morozov looked up with a smirk that sent chills up Yuzuru’s spine.

“Ah, you’re just in time for your party.”

With a wave of yellow magic, the bonfire was lit. Javier jumped down from the balcony, landing on top of one of the guards. He stole the sword from the guard and stood before Morozov. Yuzuru turned away, following a group of guards going down to the main courtyard with Patrick and Scott hot on his heels.

“There’s more to being a king than having a crown.” Javier said firmly.

Morozov laughed. “Suddenly you’re an expert?”

“You’ll never gain their loyalty until you’ve earned their respect.” The nutcracker said firmly, and Morozov rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need their loyalty. I don’t even need them!” He turned to the villagers, sceptre glowing dangerously. “Those peasants who do challenge me, living statuary be!”

“No!” Javier shouted, watching in horror as the people in the crowds became still, frozen. His heart broke when his eyes found the two in the crowd: Junhwan with Yeou, and Wakaba.

The surge of anger Javier felt pushed him forwards, and his sword met with the Mouse King’s sceptre with harsh clashes of metal on metal. Morozov changed his sceptre into an axe, but the time it took gave Javier a chance to hit him with the blunt sword he’d swiped. Javier pushed him away from the bonfire, into one of the pillars holding up the balcony.

“Scrappy little nutcracker! I’m afraid I underestimated you.” Morozov stood to his full height and the ruby at the top of the axe began to glow as it turned back into a sceptre.

“With the brawn of twenty-six, I’ll smite my enemy into sticks!”

Yellow light surrounded the Mouse King and made him grow until he was more then double the size of Javier. The nutcracker swallowed, holding his sword firm.

But the tide had turned. The extra strength meant that every strike Morozov made at Javier made the nutcracker stumble a little. Eventually it was all Javier could do just to hold the sword up to defend himself. Sensing his win, Morozov hit him hard, knocking Javier over dangerously close to the fire.

“Nutcracker!” Yuzuru pushed past Patrick and Scott to get through to the front. He sprinted over to Javier, dropping down to his knees to hold the other’s hand gently.

“I’ll give you a choice Nutcracker,” Morozov towered over the both of them. “Dismemberment, or barbecue?”

“No!” Yuzuru shouted at him, standing firmly between the nutcracker and the Mouse King. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind a magic wand!”

Morozov’s eye twitched as he looked at Yuzuru. “I obviously didn’t shrink you small enough. Your mouth is still much too big. But that is about to change!”

The ruby at the top of the sceptre glowed once again as Morozov circled it above his head. Yuzuru swallowed down his fear, and, behind him, Javier slowly picked up the rusted sword.

“To the one who vexes me, smaller, smaller you will be!”

“No!” Javier, even in his weakened state, held the sword firmly between Yuzuru and Morozov. The magic reflected off it and back onto the Mouse King.

The force of holding back the power of the magic overpowered Javier and he collapsed. Morozov was glowing yellow, and he dropped the sceptre which then shattered into thousands of tiny little crystals. He shrunk, smaller and smaller until he was the normal size of a mouse compared to Yuzuru. The golden crown from on his head clattered to the ground, and the Mouse King shamefully crawled away.

“Back to where he belongs.” Patrick spat as Morozov ran into the sewers.

Next to the bonfire, Yuzuru pulled the nutcracker’s head onto his lap, cupping his cheek with tears in his eyes. Javier smiled up at him sadly, cupping Yuzuru’s cheek with his wooden hand.

“Don’t worry Yuzu. I’m just wood, remember?”

Yuzuru shook his head, tears threatening to fall. “You and I both know you’re much more than that. Prince Javi.”

Yuzuru kissed Javier’s cheek gently, and the nutcracker was then surrounded by a dark blue light. Sparkles surrounded him, and Yuzuru shielded his eyes slightly from it. As the sparkles disappeared, Yuzuru gasped when he saw a man, made of flesh and not wood, was there in the nutcracker’s place.

“It’s Prince Javier!” Scott said excitedly.

“The Prince!” Patrick said too, then his eyes widened when he remembered all the comments he’d made. “Oh shit. The Prince….”

Javier stood up and offered Yuzuru a hand, smiling. Yuzuru stood up as he too was surrounded by glowing blue light, and his pyjamas turned into an intricate costume of overlapping layers of blue, green, and white fabric. His shoes turned into soft dance shoes, and he looked up at Javier, questions in his eyes. A small golden crown sat atop his head.

“Of course! The Prince has been with us all along!”

“What?” Yuzuru asked softly.

“Yuzuru, it’s you! You’re the Sugar Plum Prince!”

“Me?” Yuzuru shook his head, then looked down at his new clothes. “I couldn’t be…”

“It all makes sense!” Javier grinned in triumph. “You saved me from the Mouse King in your parlour, you rescued us from his dungeon, your bravery led to his defeat and… And your kiss has broken his spell.” Yuzuru raised a hand slowly, touching the crown upon his head lightly. “You are the Sugar Plum Prince. Look!”

As Yuzuru looked around the courtyard, the grey of the palace melted away to reveal brilliant marble walls. The bonfire fell away to reveal a large ice rink, as big as the one Yuzuru had seen when he was younger. The frozen people became free once again, and Yuzuru giggled as Junhwan and Wakaba tumbled over in surprise.

“You broke all the Mouse King’s evil enchantments.” Javier said, rubbing the back of Yuzuru’s hand with his thumb.

“And now you’re free to take your rightful place as king.”

“Well,” Javier frowned a little, “that’s for the people to decide.”

“Three cheers for Prince Javier!” Scott shouted. “Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hooray!”

The flower fairies created rose petals and dropped them around the area as people started to dance around in the square in celebration. Wakaba and Junhwan looked super cute as they danced around together with wide grins on their faces; Yuzuru clapped and cheered for them loudly as they did.

Patrick and Scott then decided to dance, which turned into a dance battle between them. Patrick started doing jumps all over the place as Scott dropped down low, doing something Yuzuru couldn’t even understand what it was meant to be. Because it was them, it ended in disaster, with Patrick landing on Scott and both of them falling. Yuzuru felt slightly bad for letting out a snort, but the two stood up and pulled each other to their feet, grinning as the rest of the people clapped and cheered for them.

Javier raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru and offered him a hand. Javier led him towards the rink and, as he stepped onto it, his boots glowed and transformed into black skates. Yuzuru’s own shoes did the same as he stepped on, touching the ice lightly as he did.

“You ever skated before?”

“A little. Brian sometimes took us.”

Javier nodded. “Just grab onto me if you need.”

Music started to play, and Javier’s hand held onto Yuzuru’s waist gently as they glided around the rink together. Yuzuru lost himself in the skating and in Javier’s eyes. He couldn’t look away from the prince, and the prince’s own eyes never left his. They danced something they’d never done before, working out the steps together as they glided around together. They spun together, Yuzuru even tried out the move his figure skating charm did, and Javier lifted him at one point. It was incredible how synchronised they were, having not touched the ice in years.

They entered their final spin together, holding onto each other’s waists as they turned tightly. Yuzuru’s magic spilled over the edge of the palace walls and down to the rest of the kingdom, correcting all the wrongs that Morozov had done to Madridia over the years. The two stopped, with Javier’s arms encircling Yuzuru’s waist, and Yuzuru’s hands cupping his cheeks. They both smiled at each other before the hugged properly, with Javier giving Yuzuru’s forehead a little kiss. The people clapped for them both and, after they’d stepped off the ice and their shoes had turned back to normal, Javier turned to the people, hand still resting on Yuzuru’s waist.

“Thank you everyone! As your king, I will let the wise leadership of my father be my guide.”

The crowd cheered for Javier and he smiled at Yuzuru, squeezing his waist lightly.

“None of this would have been possible without you, Yuzuru. Will you stay, and be my prince?”

Yuzuru smiled shyly and looked down at his locket. “This was supposed to take me home, but in my heart, I feel I’m already there.”

He stood on his toes and pulled Javier into a kiss, earning whistles and yet more cheers from the crowd. Javier chuckled lightly too, pulling Yuzuru a little closer when a voice stole their attention.

“I absolutely despise happy endings!”

There, on the back of Sasha, was Morozov, barrelling towards Yuzuru. The young man held up a hand to protect his face, but the mouse snatched the locket from around his neck and opened it. Pink sparkles escaped the locket and they were large enough for everyone to see.

“No!” Yuzuru shouted with a gasp. Javier’s grip on his waist tightened.

“He can’t get away with that!” Wakaba shouted. Alina spun around by Wakaba’s hand, creating a snowball. She threw it hard, hitting Morozov directly and knocking him off Sasha’s back. Sasha flew off towards the forest quickly, shaking snow off her ears.

“Yuzu!” Javier was frantically trying to reach for Yuzuru’s hand as the other paled much too fast for his liking.

“Javi!” Yuzuru reached for him, but, as their fingers brushed against each other, Yuzuru faded completely, vanishing.

Javier stared at where he was, shaking all over.

“I love you.” He whispered.


	7. It's not a story; it really happened!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chiming of the grandfather clock caused Yuzuru to blink the sleep out of his eyes. When he saw where he was, he sat bolt upright, looking around frantically.
> 
> “Nutcracker?” He looked under the sofa, moved the cushions, under the tree, past the shattered baubles, and by the mantlepiece. He felt around his neck, but there was no locket either. He sniffed quietly, blinking back the tears that had gathered in the corner of his eyes, as he looked at his limbs. Once more he was in his pyjamas, and normal size.
> 
> “It’s about time you got up,” Yuzuru’s head turned to see Brian standing in the doorway, taking in the scattered biscuit crumbs and the ceramic shards scattered across the floor. “I see the mice had a party of their own last night.”
> 
> “It wasn’t a party! It was a war! The nutcracker was fighting the Mouse King, who shrunk me with his golden sceptre, and—” Brian held up a hand, cutting off Yuzuru.
> 
> “I’ve never heard such a ridiculous story Yuzuru, even from your uncle. You do have crazy dreams sometimes.”
> 
> “It’s not a story; it really happened!” Yuzuru argued hotly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here we are, at the final chapter! Thank you so much for making it this far into the story. I'd like to give extra thanks to K1mHeechu1 who has been so supportive of my writing. Thank you so much; this final chapter is most definitely for you x

The chiming of the grandfather clock caused Yuzuru to blink the sleep out of his eyes. When he saw where he was, he sat bolt upright, looking around frantically.

“Nutcracker?” He looked under the sofa, moved the cushions, under the tree, past the shattered baubles, and by the mantlepiece. He felt around his neck, but there was no locket either. He sniffed quietly, blinking back the tears that had gathered in the corner of his eyes, as he looked at his limbs. Once more he was in his pyjamas, and normal size.

“It’s about time you got up,” Yuzuru’s head turned to see Brian standing in the doorway, taking in the scattered biscuit crumbs and the ceramic shards scattered across the floor. “I see the mice had a party of their own last night.”

“It wasn’t a party! It was a war! The nutcracker was fighting the Mouse King, who shrunk me with his golden sceptre, and—” Brian held up a hand, cutting off Yuzuru.

“I’ve never heard such a ridiculous story Yuzuru, even from your uncle. You do have crazy dreams sometimes.”

“It’s not a story; it really happened!” Yuzuru argued hotly. Evgenia bounced into the room with a grin.

“Time to open presents!”

Yuzuru placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her seriously. “Evgenia, did you take my nutcracker?”

Evgenia shook her head, fiddling with her golden necklace. “No, sorry Yuzuru. He can’t have gone far, can he? Maybe the mice moved him last night.”

Yuzuru shrugged miserably. “He’s more than a nutcracker. He’s really a king. A king of Madridia. The evil Mouse King attacked him, and had a bat, and—”

“What is all this foolishness?” Brian asked, looking at Yuzuru with concern written across his features. “Maybe I should send for a doctor.”

“And this is where I grew up.” Johnny announced as the walked into the room. Yuzuru smiled slightly at his uncle and ran up to him too.

“Uncle Johnny, have you seen my—” Yuzuru gasped, spotting the man Johnny had been showing around.

_Javier._

“—Nutcracker…”

“Look who I ran into while I was taking my morning stroll.” Johnny said with a smile to Yuzuru. Yuzuru was too busy studying Javier’s face to properly notice. “Uncle Brian, Yuzuru, Evgenia, this is Javier. The son of a dear friend of mine.”

Javier stepped closer and took Yuzuru’s hand gently, kissing the back of it. Yuzuru blushed lightly. “I’m very happy to meet you.”

“Such familiarity.” Brian shook his head at the interaction between the two. “In my day we would never have done that.”

“There’s a lot of things you would never have done in your day Uncle Brian.” Johnny pointed out. “I’ve taken the liberty of inviting Javier to join us for Christmas dinner.”

“But that’s—” Brian protested as Yuzuru cut him off.

“A most wonderful idea.” Yuzuru said firmly, squeezing Javier’s hand.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have the young man stay for supper.” Brian admitted, shaking his head as he left the room. “I need to go and see Kikuchi. And some scotch would be good right now too.”

Johnny winked at Yuzuru and whispered something to Evgenia. With a nod and a grin, she followed behind Johnny, waving at Yuzuru and shutting the door behind her. Yuzuru turned back to Javier, asking so many questions silently. Javier placed something into Yuzuru’s hand, and his eyes widened at it.

The necklace.

Yuzuru smiled up at Javier and put it on. The king bowed to him deeply and then held out his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

Yuzuru glanced at the owl on top of the grandfather clock. It’s eye sparkled, and so he nodded, bowing too and accepting the offer.

“I couldn’t say no to the king.”

And so, as snow began to fall outside the window, and Brian fussed and flapped over Christmas dinner, Yuzuru and Javier danced the time away around Yuzuru’s parlour, enjoying each other’s company, and no one noticed that the figures skating together in a rink in front of a marble palace inside a snow globe on the mantle piece moved along with them. Yuzuru’s eyes never left Javier, not even for a moment, as they spun around the room together, laughing and chuckling.

And when Brian came in to call them to dinner, he found them curled up together on the sofa, Javier’s hand on Yuzuru’s waist and Yuzuru’s hand cupping Javier’s cheek as they kissed softly. Johnny and Evgenia high fived from outside the parlour before Johnny covered her ears to stop her hearing some of Brian’s colourful language.

And they all lived happily ever after.


End file.
